Coming and Going
by ConstantTraveller
Summary: Link and his interactions with the residents of Skyloft. Featured so far: Karane, Peatrice and Fledge. Skyloft centered fic!


**Coming and Going**

**Summary: **Link and his interactions with the residents of Skyloft. Featured so far: Karane, Peatrice and Fledge.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything in relation to Zelda.

**An: **I love the minor characters of Zelda and SS certainly presented some intriguing personalities. I've written a story from their point of view. If you guys enjoy it, I might be tempted to do sequels. Just let me know via reviews how you liked it. Happy reading!

~**Z**~

Karane missed Zelda.

She missed their late night conversations that would be whispered through the hole in the wall. She missed the way one of them would stop mid sentence in the early hours of the night as they drifted off to sleep. She missed the walks they would go on and the gossip they would giggle about while they tried to conceal a blush. She missed the way they would pass notes in class or how she always listened to her endless worrying about Pipit.

She missed her friend.

The silence from the other room was deafening. She had lived so long next to her friend that even the lack of soft breathing was noticeable in her still dorm. Perhaps she should have been thankful for the silence though. It opened up an avenue to the night that spoke of secrets and quiet whispers. Footsteps down a deserted corridor or the squeal of a door as it opened. It made her breath hitch and her ears perk and filled her with a curiosity that she had never felt before.

She knew who it was that disturbed the silence. There was only one person who had been venturing out of the academy for days at a time. He never revealed where he was going but they all knew that he was searching for Zelda. There was a nervous energy about Link that spoke of his worry and his determination.

Truthfully, she didn't really know the boy very well. He was as mysterious as ever. Nobody knew where he had come from; he had simply turned up one day as a baby, with no parents to hand him over or sibling to hold his hand. But he had always been silent, solemn and hard working. She liked him, it was hard not to (even though Groose managed quite well) when he was so eager to make everyone feel comfortable. He reminded her of Zelda. She shared an understanding of the world with Link that Karane could never grasp. A joy that spoke of past pain, although there was no event that Karane could think of that seemed painful enough.

A soft knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

Sitting up from her bed, she cast her legs over the side and sighed deeply. She knew who it was even before opening the door.

Even though she was desperately in love with Pipit, she couldn't help but feel flustered at the sight of Link. The baby fat he had carried before his test was all but gone and there was a hard, sharper quality to his face that emphasised his high cheekbones. His tunic was smudged with dirt and faded in patches, despite being newly gifted to him. And attached to his back was a sword that made even the weapons master drool with envy. It shined strangely in the dark, almost alive.

"Oh, hi Link," she said. "What's wrong?"

He frowned, showing a seriousness that had been absent from his carefree face before. "Hi Karane. I was just wondering whether you had any spare paper?"

She cocked her eyebrow, "Sorry, I don't. I used it all up today. Why?"

"Oh, no reason," he said. "Thanks."

The boy made a move to go but Karane managed to jump in, "Hey, Link? I just wanted to ask something…"

"What is it?" He responded, seemingly genuinely concerned.

"Is… I know you wont tell me much but… well, is Zelda okay?" She noticed that his expression became drawn, pained even. She could hardly keep her voice from shaking at the thought of her lost friend, "I know that you don't talk a lot about what you're doing when you disappear and I know that whatever your doing is making you sad… but she's my best friend… and I just need to know that she's okay?"

He ran a hand through his hair and she noticed for the first time a cut on his neck that seemed to extend down past the line of his clothes. She wondered what other injuries he was hiding beneath the thick layers of clothing and iron mail.

"I think she's fine," he said, placing emphasis on the word, think. "She seemed fine," he muttered to himself, his face once again grim, with that otherworldly quality about it that made her think of the stories of old.

"So you've seen her?"

"Yes. Briefly. She seemed like she knew what she was doing."

Karane laughed, with a bittersweet tone to her voice that made her feel old, "She always seems that way."

He smiled, although the expression was small and only a fragment of what it used to be. There was a rushed feel about it that made her feel anxious when talking to him, like every conversation had to have a direction or a purpose.

"You should stay in Skyloft for a few days. Rest."

"I do need a good night's sleep," he said wearily.

She nodded, "Traveling must be tiring."

"Oh, it's not that," he said sheepishly, "Fledge has been trying to get stronger by working out at night. It's been keeping me up…"

"You can sleep here if you want?"

She tried not to grin at the way he blushed deeply and averted his eyes, mumbling something that she didn't quite catch but was definitely an awkward refusal. "No, not like that," she said, "I'll climb through the gap in the wall into Zelda's room and you can sleep in my bed. I have it on good authority that I don't snore so it'll be nice and quiet."

He stopped blushing, although she noticed that the tips of his ears where rather pink. "It might be a good idea. I don't think I can handle the lack of sleep for very much longer. Are you sure it's alright?"

"Of course it is… and besides, whatever makes you feel better is only going to help you in searching for Zelda."

He grinned and she turned back to her room. While grabbing her pyjamas from the closet, she couldn't help but watch as he settled for the night. He sighed deeply, before tugging his sword and shield off and rubbing at the arch of his shoulder and grimacing. She noticed a few other weapons that she hadn't seen before, a slingshot and a strange metal beetle. Collecting her things, she made for the gap in the wall, stopping suddenly at the sound of his voice.

"Karane?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks," he said and she could see by his posture that he had needed the sleep more then he had shown before. He bit his lip for a moment, "Don't tell Pipit I stayed here, right?"

"Why?" She said, trying to act as though his words hadn't bothered her, even though her entire body became flushed and filled with the sound of her fast beating heart.

"No reason," he said, smiling secretly.

She blushed, before making for the gap. She heard hardly any sounds from him as she settled into her bed, dozing a little before falling into a deep slumber.

When she woke up, Link was already gone.

~**Z**~

The worst thing about Skyloft, Peatrice decided, was its lack of good men.

Not that men weren't around. She had always been fond of Groose. He had a confident air about him that made her heart flutter, not to mention how up to date he was on fashion. He had entertained her affections at one point, before moving onto that other girl, Zelda. She had considered throwing in the towel at that point, maybe flirting with Cawlin for a bit. She needed a confidence booster and if she was going to get out of her dead end job, she was going to need to marry.

But then he had come into her life.

Link.

Even his name made her feel lightheaded.

He had always been around, just under her radar. Who could blame her? He hardly spoke a word when they were kids and now… well, he still hardly spoke but it seemed a little bit more mysterious than it previously had. To her, he was perfect though. She sometimes tried to wish him to her but it never worked. Everyone knew that he left Skyloft sometimes and didn't return for days. And even when he did, he looked like he had run a marathon. She didn't mind though, it just made him even more mysterious and strong.

She sighed as she heard someone approach her counter, not even bothering to open her eyes as she leaned on one hand, "Welcome to the Item Check…" she begun, lazily opening one eye. "Oh, it's you!" She said as she straightened, tugging at her dress to make herself feel more presentable.

He smiled tightly and she noticed that, like usual, he was covered in some strange residue from his travels. This time, it appeared to be sand.

"So um," she said as she leaned forward, trying to blink her lashes seductively, "what where you needing."

Not making eye contact, she watched as he unhooked a small bag from his belt and dropped it lightly on the counter.

"Just that today?" She said, leaning forward a bit more.

He nodded and she went to pick up the bag. "Oh, gross," she said, noticing for the first time that the bag was stained from blood. "Oh my goddess, that is so gross!" She wiped her soiled hand on the table, muttering under her breath. She kept her hands well away from her skirts, they had taken her ages to stitch up.

Looking at Link, she noticed that he had become rigid, his expression confusingly abashed. She coughed, feeling like she had embarrassed him in some way, "I mean, it's fine…. Um… well, was that all?"

He nodded, murmuring out a small, "thanks," as he turned to walk away. She bit her lip for a second while he walked, before shouting out, "Wait!"

He paused, turning back to her. He regarded her coolly for a moment, before coming back to the counter. She felt her heart beat quicken, "So, um, where did you go?"

The expression on his face seemed strange, "Nowhere, really." She noticed that he seemed distant and removed when he said that, his mind wondering to far off places that she could hardly imagine. She could tell that she was losing his interest so she made a last ditch attempt to hold it.

"So… you've been coming to my Item Check a bit now. Any normal girl might get the impression that you had hidden motives…"

A red blush spread its way across his pale complexion, all the way to the tip of his pointed ears. He was avoiding eye contact but she didn't mind since his face was still as red as a tomato and he was shuffling nervously. She couldn't help but feel a surge of adrenaline in her, considering his reaction. She had definitely hit something in him to make his reaction so obvious.

"I… your store is just really useful."

"Oh, really?" She said, fluttering her eye lashes again, "Anything else that… interests you about it?"

He seemed to be struggling to speak what was on his mind, so she grinned cockily as he fumbled to make any sentence form. "Well, how about you visit me tonight, to finish this conversation. My home is a lot more… comfortable than this run down little shop."

He seemed utterly speechless so she winked at him, "I'll be expecting you."

He blushed again, looking at her with a stricken, confused expression before nodding and walking to the nearest exit. Placing the bag onto the shelf delicately, making sure not to touch the stain, she grinned to herself. It had gone well, she thought. She had charmed him quite well. Not too forceful but not subtle enough that he missed her advances.

Her dad was right, she thought, she was way prettier than that Zelda girl and she was going to get the man to prove it. She had always been naturally good at getting the boys to notice her and she would make sure that Link knew what he was missing.

Sitting down at the counter once more, she counted the rupees that he had left.

Maybe her job wasn't that boring after all.

~**Z**~

It wasn't that Fledge was shy, it was just that most people never really gave him a chance.

He had never been very confident in his body. When he was a child, he had been too short and now that he was older, he seemed too tall. His cheeks were too red, his muscles too weak and he never seemed to emit that carefree confidence that the other boys did. It was a wonder that he had even been accepted into the Academy.

It was even more difficult dealing with how awkward he felt since the girls had grown up. It had become startlingly clear that he wasn't typical of a boy. More so now that the girls had Link to compare him with. He had always considered himself to be a good friend of Links, especially in the past few years. They had always gotten along, not to mention that he had even gone out of his way to collect the stamina potion for him. He always seemed to smile genuinely around him and relax, if just a little bit, from his usual rigid self-control.

But they were completely different people. They may have both been quiet but Link possessed more of an assertive manner about him. Fledge was passive and insecure, completely incapable of standing up for himself. And then Zelda had disappeared and Link had transformed even more, from the naïve and carefree child that he had been to a serious, solemn person that disappeared for days at a time. He probably noticed Link a lot more than the others did, it was hard to ignore the sound of a door closing at midnight or the sorting of equipment before dawn. He had tried to talk to Link a few times after hearing these nocturnal sounds but he had been unable to wrestle any information from him.

So he had left his friend to his secrets, content to know that he was at least returning from whatever dangerous adventures he had been on. He had given him his space, knowing that for the ten others that pestered him for information, there was at least one person who let him talk when he felt like it.

Which made it a bit of a surprise to have the boy come to him one night, knocking on his door quietly, just before midnight.

Fledge had been attempting to complete his routine of push ups, feeling more than a little defeated by his slow progress. It had begun to grow hot in his room as well from the changing seasons, so the sweat had begun to trickle down his back and moisten his hair.

Catching his breath, he slowly got up from his position on the floor, opening the door quietly, "Oh, Link! Hi!"

The boy smiled a little and Fledge noticed that the bottom hem of his tunic seemed to have been scorched to a blackened mess. More worryingly though was the soot marks on the boys face and the tired, almost deathly weary look that he was trying to cover up.

He let the boy into his room, nearly collapsing onto the ground as he continued to catch his breath. Link unhooked his sword and shield, letting them fall to the ground in a heap as he also flung himself onto one of the cushions.

"I'm getting better, Link! I've been working at my push ups every night and I'm actually getting stronger!"

Link smiled genuinely, "Has the potion helped?"

He nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah but the next day I always wake up feeling so tired, like my muscles are on fire."

"I know the feeling," said Link and Fledge watched as the boy attempted to speak but stopped suddenly, as if he was on the verge of revealing a big secret.

There was small pause, as Fledge heaved a sigh and reclined onto one of his cushions. He could tell that Link was thinking deeply and tossing up whether to share his secrets, he was used to seeing that conflicted look on the boys face.

"I… do you have some water?"

"Yeah," said Fledge as he pulled out a jug, washbasin and glass from the bottom drawer of his cupboard. He usually used it to wash himself up after his exercises but he could tell that Link was pretty desperate for something cool. He watched as the boy gulped down half the jug, not worrying about the glass, before pouring some of the water into the washbasin and splashing his face with it.

"Thirsty?" He said, absentmindedly.

"Yeah," Link said appreciatively, "Lava always makes me thirsty."

"…L-lava?" Fledge stuttered out, not expecting such a confession.

"Oh, um… nothing. Just talking to myself."

"O-okay," he said, feeling suddenly shocked at the idea of his friend near anything that produced Lava. But then, he considered, it would explain the soot on his face and the scorched hem of his uniform. He didn't know anything about the world outside of Skyloft so there was no way for him to really imagine where the boy had been. Link was looking away from him now, pulling at his collar to relieve some of the heat that he had experienced.

"So you just got back then?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired," said Link and Fledge wondered why the boy wasn't collapsed in his own bed, sleeping off his ordeal in solitude. The boy continued, after a pause, "I was needing to cool off before I fell asleep."

Fledge smiled, thinking for a moment about how lonely his friend must be feeling throughout the months of adventuring he had been doing. No one knew if he was alone when he disappeared but they had all noticed a change in his demeanour, a silence that had arisen which spoke of long days without talking and hard, back breaking work. He had always been silent but there was a lack of satisfaction in his silence that spoke of long trials and melancholy thoughts.

"You'll be happy to know that Pipit and Karane are together," he said, determined to take the boys mind off his travels.

"Really? That's great. They're good together."

"They are. Although I'm sure you've heard Cawlin's crying when you were passing through."

Link cocked an eyebrow, "That sound is him? He's taking it pretty hard then?"

"Yeah but… between you and me," he said, "if it keeps him off our backs, I'm not really fussed."

His friend smiled, a cockiness arising in him that Fledge hadn't seen before, "Well, if he ever messes with you again, just let me know. I've learned a few things that would turn those tears into screams."

Fledge grinned, although a little bit disturbed by the others words and sudden realization that Link's sword was not ornamental. He might have been imagining it but from the corner of his eye, he saw a slight glow emit itself from the top of the blade, were it wasn't sheathed.

"Hopefully with all of this exercise, I wont need you to defend me."

Link thought for a moment, "Have you ever considered asking the weapon master for extra training?"

"Oh… well, a little bit. I considered it, but," he said bashfully, "he kind of scares me a bit."

His admission awarded him a small chuckle and a genuine smile, more than enough payment for his embarrassment. He watched as a grimace spread over the other boys face at the laugh while Link rubbed distantly at his ribs. Fledge couldn't help but feel concerned at the action. He knew, without a doubt in his mind, that whatever Link was involved with was dangerous. The boy hid his troubles so well though; it was hard for Fledge to even consider the idea of him being injured without knowing.

"Hey, Link?" He asked hesitantly. The boy looked up at his soft tone, his expression reminding Fledge of the naïve and untroubled boy he had once known. Within an instance, the glimpse of his past was gone, replaced by the troubled boy who sat in front of him. "Are you alright?"

"Why do you ask?"

Fledge ran a hand through his hair, "Well, you disappear for days at a time, never telling anyone where you're going. When you do return, you're always covered in some form of dirt and you basically collapse into your bed. Not to mention that you've been hiding injuries from us, which even I know is silly."

The boy blushed and averted his eyes. He looked abashed, like a child caught stealing from the pantry. Fledge knew that he was meant to be a stable force for his friend but he needed to intervene if he was injured. He couldn't live with himself if something happened to him because he was being being polite. It seemed that everyone was ready to ask if Zelda was okay, while no one actually asked Link himself.

"I'm fine…" Said the boy, with a strange tone in his voice.

"Really?"

"Yes." The boy's expression changed, until it was hardened, serious and determined, "If it had been anyone else in my situation, than I would worry. But this task I'm completing, it's… what I was made for. I don't know how to explain it."

Fledge bit his lip, "When I was young, I would read stories about people who were guided by fate. They had no choice in their destiny, but they were the only ones who could fulfil what needed to be done… Is this…. Is what you're doing, kind of like that?"

Link paused for a moment, his face drawn into deep contemplation. Fledge noticed that he was looking at his hand, spreading his fingers wide before clenching his fist tightly. It was a strange gesture, not one that he had seen the boy make before, even though he knew, somehow, that it represented something about Link that was integral to his existence. "It's kind of like that."

"Okay," said Fledge, taking in everything that he had heard, "Then I wont try to stop you from doing what has to be done."

A relieved sigh met his words and he could see Link instantly relax. He continued, his eyes trying to convey his seriousness, "But Link, if you ever need someone to talk to…. Well, you know where I live."

He smiled at the grin he received. Despite having more questions unanswered then before Link had knocked on his door, he felt relieved and content. He felt as if they shared a different friendship than they had before. Before, they had hardly acknowledged each other. Now, there was a deeper understanding of where they stood in each other's eyes.

"Oh and Link? You wouldn't happen to have any more stamina potion, would you?"

~**Z**~

AN: Hope that you guys enjoyed. Please review and tell me your thoughts :)


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